HOBOKEN -- Hoboken Superintendent of Schools Mark Toback said on Friday that he believes nine families remain on the waiting list for the district’s early childhood programs.

Hoboken provides free pre-school for 3 and 4-year-olds because it is a “special needs” district designated by the state. But there was an increase in families applying this year, and even when the district asked for more classrooms, there was not enough room for everyone.

However, Toback said that the district has identified 10 families designated as “no-shows,” meaning that the district believes they’ve enrolled in other programs or moved out of Hoboken. Legally, the district must wait 10 days before removing them from the enrollment lists, but once that happens, the last nine families will be placed.

School started on Sept. 9.

Toback said he expects the waitlist to be empty by next week.

In another issue, working parents with children at Connors and Wallace schools have been in limbo waiting to find out if the schools will start their after-school programs, which parents pay extra for.

Neither afterschool program has begun, Toback acknowledged on Friday. He said the program at Connors hasn’t begun because only two families have expressed interest in it. He said the program is parent-funded and thus dependent on enough families signing up.

At Wallace School, the program is being taken over by Mile Square Learning Center, outside the district’s jurisdiction. That program is expected to begin soon, Toback said, as the center is finalizing their background checks on employees before officially beginning it.